Bulldogs baseball team falls in state semi
Friday, June 9, 2023
By Jarrod Ulrey
julrey@cbussports.com
Heath’s Tannar Patterson pitches during the Bulldogs’ state semifinal game against Harrison Central June 9 at Akron’s Canal Park. Photo: Kevin Rouch
Less than two weeks into the regular season, the Heath baseball team was one game below .500 with a lineup that included just two key seniors.
As is the case with every program, the Bulldogs hoped they’d improve significantly as the season wore on.
That certainly took place, as Heath closed the regular season by winning six of its final seven and turned that momentum into the program’s longest postseason run since it won the 2007 state title.
On June 9 in a Division III state semifinal at Canal Park in Akron, the Bulldogs lost to Cadiz Harrison Central 2-1 to finish 22-9.
“We started a little slow and played some tough teams at the beginning of the season,” junior second baseman Hayden Woodward said. “We had to get in the groove a little bit. We got it going and obviously it showed. We had to get settled down to things and it just went on from there.”
While Heath was making its fourth state tournament appearance, Harrison Central was one game above .500 heading into the postseason and is 20-12 as it heads into the state final at 7 p.m. Saturday against Apple Creek Waynedale. The Huskies will be going for their first state title.
Heath sophomore pitcher Tannar Patterson showed his toughness early on by striking out two of the first three batters he faced and hit 86 miles per hour in the early innings, but struggles with command in the third inning came back to haunt him.
He wiggled out of trouble in the second inning after walking two.
Heath’s Connor Corbett puts one in play during the Bulldogs’ state semifinal game with Harrison Central June 9 at Akron’s Canal Park. Photo: Kevin Rouch
Then in the third, Patterson struck out Reed Arbaugh to open the frame before walking Kaden Jurosko and Leland Lopez.
Harrison Central pitcher Treston Nemeth then followed with a triple to right center that drove in Arbaugh and Lopez and made it 2-0.
Patterson also walked one and allowed an infield single in the fourth but escaped without allowing a run and walked one and gave up two hits in the sixth but again got out of the jam.
He finished with 11 strikeouts while walking seven on 123 pitches, giving up just four hits overall.
“Not going to lie, with the radar gun going, I had to get those pitches out of the way to see how hard I could throw and I got it out of the way in the first few innings and settled in,” Patterson said.
Heath had one runner on in each of the first two innings, but Nemeth induced double plays to end both threats.
In the fourth, shortstop Kaden Green singled and stole second and Woodward walked but Nemeth struck out Jaiden Dansby to end the inning.
Heath broke through for its only run in the sixth, when nine-hole hitter and center fielder Conner Toomey walked and stole second and scored on a single down the right-field line by Patterson. Nemeth intentionally walked Woodward with two outs but picked off Patterson for the third out.
Heath’s Tannar Patterson steals second ahead of the tag of Harrison Central’s Kaden Jurosko in the state semifinal game June 9 at Akron’s Canal Park. Photo: Kevin Rouch
Dansby walked to open the seventh, but Nemeth retired the final three batters to close it out.
“We walked a couple guys, they got a hit and we had trouble getting our bunts down,” Heath coach Tom Warren said. “I thought (Patterson) threw the ball well today. They had a tight zone behind the plate that we’re probably not used to and a couple pitches could have gone either way, but he kept us in the game and gave us a chance. He didn’t throw a lot this year until lately, but he’s one of our top guys. He hit 86 and I think that kind of surprised all of us because we don’t have a gun.
“The Harrison Central coach and I were talking before the game about how anything can happen. In a single-elimination format, this is not guaranteed that you can go the next year. We knew we were going to have a solid team. I didn’t foresee a run like this, but we have a solid defense and our pitchers gave us a chance. We were able to execute well except for tonight. It happens in baseball.”
Nemeth walked four and gave up four hits while striking out three in addition to going 2-4 with both RBI for the Wildcats.
The only key seniors for Heath were first baseman Cooper Bradley and third baseman Jacob Bunn.
“We’re losing two key starters who flipped it on during the tournament to help us out, but we’ve got a lot of young talent on our (junior varsity) team and we’re going to roll it into next year hot and ready,” Woodward said. “We want to get it all next year.”